UPIB-EDC BINHI Biodiversity Hub - Herbarium

Summary

The Jose Vera Santos Memorial Herbarium, located within the UP Diliman Institute of Biology, houses over 25,000 preserved plant specimens from across the Philippines. These specimens, collected by botanists during fieldwork, are sorted, dried, and mounted for scientific use. The herbarium also maintains auxiliary collections such as wood, seeds, and fruits, contributing to plant taxonomy and conservation efforts. Named after botanist Jose Vera Santos, it serves as a valuable resource for research, conservation policies, and plant identification services. Visitors and researchers can schedule tours or request plant identification for formal use.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The Jose Vera Santos Memorial Herbarium is located at the UP Diliman Institute of Biology and contains over 25,000 preserved plant specimens from across the Philippines.
• 🧑‍🔬 Botanists collect specimens during fieldwork, which are then sorted, dried, mounted, and labeled for the herbarium.
• 📚 The specimens are organized according to the APG-4 system, which groups plant families based on their evolutionary relationships.
• 🌳 The herbarium's collection includes not only dried plant specimens but also wood, flowering material, fruits, and seeds, showcasing the diversity of the Philippine flora.
• 🗺️ The herbarium serves as an important reference for studying the historical distribution of plants, their habitats, and the communities around them.
• 📖 It provides valuable resources for plant taxonomy research and contributes to informed conservation decisions and policy-making.
• 👨‍🔬 The herbarium was named after Jose Vera Santos, a grass taxonomist who revitalized the collection after World War II.
• 🏺 The collection includes contributions from significant figures such as Dr. Brasiliano M. Zamora and Leonardo Alcala, who helped expand and organize the herbarium.
• 📅 The earliest Philippine specimen in the herbarium is *Aquinoa kruskalii*, collected by Merrell in 1905.
• 🧪 The herbarium offers plant identification services for a fee and can issue certificates confirming a plant's identity for formal research or environmental assessments.

Q & A

What is the Jose Vera Santos Memorial Herbarium?

The Jose Vera Santos Memorial Herbarium is a collection of over 25,000 preserved plant specimens located within the Institute of Biology at UP Diliman. It holds plant samples from across the Philippines, collected by botanists during fieldwork.

How are plant specimens processed in the herbarium?

After plant specimens are collected, they are sorted, dried, mounted, and labeled. They are then stamped with a unique accession number and added to the herbarium’s main collection.

What system is used to organize the specimens in the herbarium?

The herbarium organizes its specimens according to the APG-4 system, which categorizes plants based on their evolutionary relationships to other plant families.

What types of additional collections are housed in the herbarium?

In addition to dried and preserved plant specimens, the herbarium also contains auxiliary collections for wood, flowering material, fruits, and seeds.

How do the herbarium's collections contribute to the understanding of biodiversity?

The collections provide insights into the diversity of flora in the Philippines. They help researchers understand plant taxonomy and the relationships between plants and their habitats, supporting conservation efforts and environmental policies.

Who was the herbarium named after?

The herbarium is named after José Vera Santos, a grass taxonomist who rehabilitated the collection after his transfer from UP Manila post-World War II.

What was the herbarium's original name?

The herbarium was originally called the Philippine University Herbarium (PUH). The abbreviation 'PUH' comes from this old name.

Who contributed to the expansion of the herbarium's collection?

Dr. Brasiliano M. Zamora and Leonardo Alcol were instrumental in organizing and expanding the collection after José Vera Santos.

What is the significance of the specimen 'Aquinoa kruskalii'?

The earliest detailed Philippine specimen in the herbarium is 'Aquinoa kruskalii,' a grass collected by Merrell in 1905, marking an important historical record.

How can the public interact with the herbarium's collection?

The herbarium offers tours and visits for individuals or groups, and provides plant identification services for a small fee. It can issue certificates of authentication for plant specimens used in research or environmental assessments.